Celebs yes, sales no: some designers lack enthusiasm for L.A.'s fashion week.

L.A.'s Fashion Week attracted celebrities like Charlize Theron, Paris Hilton and Angela Bassett, to name just a few. But it didn't attract Alicia Lawhon, a home-grown designer who launched her career five years ago at the biannual event, debuting her funky, layered look.

This season, Lawhon decided to skip the West Coast's biggest show. "My sales have never improved because I showed," Lawhon wrote in an e-mail. "Press is great, but it does not equal sales."

Never a show on par with the New York or Paris editions, L.A.'s Fashion Week is being seen in certain circles as irrelevant--and not just by the biggest names in high fashion. For this year's show, which took place last week at Culver City's Smashbox Studios, prominent locals such as Michelle Mason and Rami Kashou also opted out.

The snubs illustrate that Fashion Week has a ways to go to reach an audience most crucial to designers' sales: buyers who stock stores around the world. While Fashion Week has drawn celebrities, the Hollywood attention doesn't always translate to retail business.

"If a celebrity is wearing it, it doesn't necessarily mean it is going to work for my customer," said Phyllis Reffo, owner of the Malibu clothing boutique Crush.

Designers say that L.A.'s Fashion Week has yet to define itself. By being all things to all people, with collections that shift from a focus on swimwear to denim to ready-to-wear clothes, the shows confuse buyers and fail to leave a clear impression for attendees to take home.

"I understand how Michelle Mason feels. There needs to be more cohesiveness," said Astride Howell, a Santa Monica lawyer with L.A.-based designer clients.

Mirroring the underlying apparel trade in L.A., denim and ready-to-wear companies have taken the spotlight from high fashion. Designers like Lawhon would rather spend time mingling with buyers at the New York show. For Howell's clients, that's where most of the sales are done. "There has been a lot of backlash with L.A. Fashion Week," she said.

Still, many designers who haven't yet made a name for themselves were clamoring to spotlight their collections in the hopes that, with the press watching, their clothes will gain an audience. "It definitely helps up-and-comers a lot because people will see who they are," said designer Pegah Anvarian. "It helps create a buzz."

Anvarian said Fashion Week appearances have helped boost her sales to $2 million this year. But she, like Lawhon, sees L.A. as a steppingstone. One day, she would like to show at New York's Fashion Week--and perhaps Paris, too. The global reach of these shows simply outmatches L.A.'s pull.

Week appeal

In the past, many buyers avoided L.A.'s Fashion Week because they had to shuttle between shows held downtown and in Culver City. This year, most shows were held in Culver City. "It all being in one venue is so much easier," said Anvarian.

Designer Deborah Lindquist said that the show, run by Smash-box and IMG's 7th on Sixth, was much better organized this time. On the runway, the production--from the lighting to the music to the make-up--went smoothly.

But Reffo said that many of the same problems remain--long waits, unclear schedules and little notification for shows. For other events, she said she's often sent information well ahead of time and can plan accordingly. "If I am not fully informed, it doesn't seem that important to them," she said.

Fern Mallis, executive director of 7th on Sixth, said wooing buyers hasn't been the primary aim of the show. Instead, L.A. Fashion Week is really about courting editors and Hollywood.

In the future, however, Mallis said the event will work toward luring buyers. "Slowly but surely we will start to register buyers the same way we reach out to the media. That hasn't been our function in the past," she said.

But Fashion Week may have to fit in with buyers' schedules first. The show comes right before L.A. market week, a critical event where apparel companies invite buyers to peruse their wares at local showrooms.

Anvarian thinks that Fashion Week should be moved to coincide with market week, typically the more important of the two events. That way, buyers already in town wouldn't have to extend their visit to attend both events. Now, she said they often skip Fashion Week in favor of the market.

In its invitations, Fashion Week often emphasizes celebrity lists, which are important to editors but not as helpful to buyers.

Lawhon said the press and the Hollywood crowds make parties better, but rarely impact sales. That's an important consideration because the costs of putting on the fashion show aren't small--Lawhon says it runs her $5,000 to $10,000, with sponsors chipping in for lighting, chairs, stylists, hairdressers and make-up artists. "I love press, but I really love numbers," Lawhon wrote in an e-mail.

Lindquist said sales can depend on how designers act after the shows. Keeping in touch with editors and contacting buyers can increase business for the long-term. "It is all about follow-up," she said.